New Delhi, March 23 (NationPress) The Election Commission of India has disclosed the distribution of digital time vouchers to acknowledged National and State political parties, granting them complimentary broadcast and telecast time on Doordarshan and All India Radio for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

This initiative has been executed under Section 39A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The Commission has provided comprehensive guidelines for airtime allocation during the General Elections to the Legislative Assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

The digital time vouchers have been disseminated via the Commission's IT platform to all acknowledged National and State political parties across these five election-bound States and one Union Territory in preparation for the upcoming Assembly elections.

The broadcasting and telecasting period will commence from the publication date of the list of contesting candidates in each phase and will conclude two days prior to the polling date in each region, as stated by the ECI.

Officials indicated that the actual scheduling of broadcast slots will be determined ahead of time through a draw of lots at the State or Union Territory level. This process will be conducted in the presence of authorized representatives from political parties and officials from the Chief Electoral Officer's office.

As part of this initiative, the poll body reported that each party will receive a base allocation of 45 minutes of free airtime on both Doordarshan and All India Radio. This airtime will be evenly distributed across the regional networks within the respective State or Union Territory.

Moreover, parties will be eligible for additional airtime based on their previous performance in past Assembly elections within the relevant State or Union Territory.

The Commission has also established clear guidelines regarding content submission. Political parties are required to submit transcripts and recordings in advance to ensure compliance with established norms.

Recordings must be produced either in studios that fulfill the technical specifications mandated by Prasar Bharati or at designated Doordarshan and AIR Kendras.

Besides individual party broadcasts, Prasar Bharati will facilitate up to two panel discussions or debates for airing on Doordarshan and All India Radio.

Each qualified political party will be permitted to nominate one representative for these discussions, which will be moderated by an approved coordinator.